Labour: 'What is Rishi Sunak running scared of?' - Ellie Reeves on calls for a UK election

now it's time to speak to labor about the day's political stories I'm joined this morning by the deputy national campaign coordinator uh Ellie Reed very good morning to you so uh the Prime Minister says the election won't be May the 2nd uh what do you make of that no big surprise really well you know we've had 14 years of conservative government and I think people rightly want a general election I think you should get on and call it for the 2nd of May that would be the right time to have an election in the Electoral cycle we've got local elections and mayro elections on that day uh and you know I think the public should be able to to go to the polls and uh vote in a general election on the same day it's the prime minister's prerogative he can choose when it's best for him to choose it well he's got until the 26th of March to call an election for the 2nd of may you know what's he Running Scared of get on and get on and call it so people can vote for change well he would say he's not Running Scared he'd always managed expectations and suggested it would be in the second half of the year and you weren't really expecting a May election anyway were you I mean if if you look at the access talks that labor has got underway now with civil servants which always happens with any party that that might win an election that that only happened at the beginning of this year that's pretty late you can't really be expecting a May election well we're prepared for a May election and until the 26th of March the last day that Parliament can be dissolved from our election then we'll be ready for it you know Richi sunak is scotting in Downing Street he's an unelected prime minister and you know people up and down a country we saw in the byelections in Welling bro in Kingswood tanworth mid bedfordshire that there is an appetite for change and I think it's right that people are able to go to the polls on a general election so we are ready uh we would fight for every vote in a general uh election but you know after 14 years of failure I do think people should be allowed to have their say Okay I want to ask you about Frank Hester the Tory donor whose comments about Diana Abbott this week um have been condemned as racist uh he is reportedly he has reportedly given another 5 million to the conservatives uh should the Tories give that back absolutely I think the conservatives should give that money back uh Frank Hester's comments about Diane ABT were racist they were misogynistic comments like that have absolutely no place in our society and to learn that on top of the 10 million pounds that he's already given to the conservatives it looks like there's a further 5 million frankly I think is appalling they should give that money uh back that will be used to fund candidates leaflets up and down the uh country come the general election I would imagine and I just think that's a ping and wrong and yet the Tories would say he's apologized they would say they took the money in good faith before they knew anything about any comments he made well he hasn't really uh apologized I think he said his comments were rude but he hasn't accepted that they were racist as far as I can see so you I'm not sure that's much of an apology and you know the abuse that has had as a result of those comments it's just appalling they just hand that money back well yes and since the ra there have been calls to readmit Diane Abott to the party do you think because of what's happened to her she should be readmitted well I think it's important not to conflate the two things Diane aert had the whip uh removed suspended um after comments that she made and there's an investigation going on in relation to that labor has robust investigation Pro processes and that's what's being carried out at the moment it's right that process takes it course its course and there'll be an outcome of that so I think it's important not to complate that with the uh the racism and misogynist misogynism that Diana's faced not not just with Frank Hester and his comments but more broadly know she was the first black uh Member of Parliament to be elected she's been a real Trail brazer uh but the abuse she suffered over a number of years is is huge and frankly you know Frank Hester's comments just uh just fuel uh that your Deputy leader Angela Rena said she'd like to see Diane ABT back as a labor MP would you I think it's a matter for the uh investigation you know Diane is a fellow London MP she's someone that I've known a long time and someone that as a Trailblazer I have a huge amount of uh of respect for but we we need that investigation to run it why is it taking so long we set up uh robust uh ke setups robust procedures that MPS aren't part of it's right that MPS aren't part of that process that it's removed from that uh so I'd like to see that investigation concluded quickly but it's also important that those proper processes are followed other MP's cases have been dealt with much more quickly I can't comment about an investigation that I'm not part of and that is independent um I hope that it will conclude uh swiftly uh and that there'll be an outcome of it but that is an independent process and rightly so while you're here I also want to ask you about the Sky News investigation that it did in conjunction with the independent U which uncovered a catalog of sexual abuse complaints from mental health ward impatients uh Rape Crisis England Wales has responded to that investigation by calling for a public inquiry do you back those calls yeah I mean what's happened uh the investigation and you know it's just appalling I think something like 20,000 uh cases of sexual uh abuse this shouldn't be happening and the the the NHS needs to get a grip of this uh it's a huge issue I think there needs to be uh an inquiry uh but also you know the Tories committed in their 2010 Manifesto and their 2015 Manifesto to end mixx Wards they failed to deliver on that in 14 years of uh government it needs to be uh priority because you know the report is just appalling rake crisis are also calling for a minister responsible for the safety of women on Mental Health Wards women only Wards and a provision to allow victims to give evidence would a labor government commit to those well we'll need to look at the report in detail but what we have said as part of our uh crime mission is that tackling violence against women and girls would be an absolute priority for a labor government this report is shocking there's a catalog of issues around violence against women uh and girls in this country you know rape victims waiting three years before their cases get to court rape prosecutions uh something like uh two uh% um that's why we would make steps to to to to end that so things like for example putting domestic abuse call handlers in every police 999 call center uh specialist rape courts to speed up the the system so that rape victims can get uh justice there's so much more that can be done but that's been lacking from this conservative government okay Ellie Reeves we appreciate your time this morning thanks very much thank you